Preacher wrote:Hey guys, I am getting a new 5.1 Surround headset replacing my crappy headset. So which brand should I go for ? How will be the Logitech G35 and G430 ?What do you recommend ?

If your aim is 5.1 surround, do not buy those which use Dolby virtual surround sound. Get a true surround headset. You will thank me later.

First of all , I am thanking you now coz I was also seeing those and what is the difference between discrete and virtual surround sound ? I assume that you are saying to get a discrete one right ?Well, can you point me any headset which has a good 5.1/7.1 surround sound ?

Preacher wrote:Hey guys, I am getting a new 5.1 Surround headset replacing my crappy headset. So which brand should I go for ? How will be the Logitech G35 and G430 ?What do you recommend ?

If your aim is 5.1 surround, do not buy those which use Dolby virtual surround sound. Get a true surround headset. You will thank me later.

First of all , I am thanking you now coz I was also seeing those and what is the difference between discrete and virtual surround sound ? I assume that you are saying to get a discrete one right ?Well, can you point me any headset which has a good 5.1/7.1 surround sound ?

If by discrete you mean one with multiple drivers per ear, then yes. The advantage true surround speakers have over virtual ones is that true surround speakers offer a significantly (and by that I mean MONSTROUSLY better) better positional audio. You can hear the speed, distance, angle and location of anything and anyone moving around you, and if you close your eyes, you can aim at them directly without even seeing them.

I used to have Medusa NX USB 5.1 set, but even though it had amazing positional audio, its build quality was so bad that they lasted only 2 months. I'm currently aiming to get Razer 7.1 Tiamats, however I'm still reviewing different options because it's quite an investment and I don't want them to break in 2 months again.

No real opinion on 5.1/7.1 vs stereo other than stereo usualy has better quality at low-medium price ranges. I was satisfied with all headphones i got when tweaking EQ to my personal liking. From competitive standpoint there is no real difference apart from comfort and getting used to using sound to your advantage in combination of map knowledge.

just my opinion, i just think there is no such a thing as "true" surround, its a gimmick and i find stereo headphones better in everyway but thats just me

Sounds more like you never experienced the "true surround" headphones. Nor did i to be honest, but to all aclaim people say they are great. As to which i prefer to stand with "i have no real experience/information about this topic, therefore my insight on it has zero value to anyone".

What you are refering to sounds more like virtual surround.

The perfect blossom is a rare thing. You could spend your life looking for one, and it would not be a wasted life.

Knowing may be a half the battle, but in some cases proper spirit can win the battle before it even starts.

just my opinion, i just think there is no such a thing as "true" surround, its a gimmick and i find stereo headphones better in everyway but thats just me

You can take it from me. I have experience with good stereo (Sennheiser), FK-s approved Gamescom 780 virtual surround and true surround (Speedlink Medusa NX). There is no question as to which gives you better positional audio. I've heard the same arguments from all over the interwebs- "you can't have true surround, because the drivers are too close to your ear". Fact of the matter is, I don't know if the term "true" is accurate, probably not, but you can aim at a running guy behind you, behind a wall, with your eyes closed, and hit him with a pretty good probability. That's the kind of surround you will never get with virtual surround headset, but you can get this experience with a headset with multiple drivers.

I don't even want to imagine what true 7.1 can do, properly set up. It's a legal wallhack.

Nobody in their sane mind can say that when they've tried true surround. "Waste of money" is a relatively subjective term, considering you are likely to spend 100-300EUR on a good weekend, anyway.

i had the medusa you are talking about, still got them here, but can savely say that i really hated them. bought siberia v2 usb afterwards and was hearing so much better & the mic didnt beep all the time while talking in ts got sennheiser pc333d 3dg4me now and using the virtual 7.1 there as well, so much better soundquality than every other headset ive used before.

Nobody in their sane mind can say that when they've tried true surround. "Waste of money" is a relatively subjective term, considering you are likely to spend 100-300EUR on a good weekend, anyway.

i had the medusa you are talking about, still got them here, but can savely say that i really hated them. bought siberia v2 usb afterwards and was hearing so much better & the mic didnt beep all the time while talking in ts got sennheiser pc333d 3dg4me now and using the virtual 7.1 there as well, so much better soundquality than every other headset ive used before.

How did you set them up?

I found that for good surround sound, I needed to reduce the sound in frontal speakers, keep the mid ones on medium and a bit higher at the rear.

You're right, Medusas were not amazing when listening to music, but that didn't bother me since I had stereos for that.

But to be more elaborate on the reasons why I seem so opinionated. I did a hell of a lot of research before I bought a surround headset. My first pair (Medusas) cost me around 60 EUR and that kind of investment warrants some effort. My mistake was that I was persuaded by a competent and competitive gamer's opinion, but I also noticed that whenever "virtual vs true" arguments came up, those who claimed that true surround sound was a placebo, usually didn't have any experience with them.

By the end of the day, pure logic won. 3 speakers per ear vs virtual surround via 1 speaker per ear. When it comes to the effects it had on gaming, I was not disappointed, in fact, I was "wow´d". They required some finetuning, but once I got them set up optimally, the definition of audio, for me, changed. Their build quality sucked, though. One by one, rear and mid speakers gave up after about 2 months of use.

If the game supports surround sound (and most do nowadays), don't go virtual or stereo (for gaming [sic!]). If you really can't afford a pair of speakers which you mostly use for gaming, I guess Plantronics 780 offer a good bang for the buck.

I can't stress this enough, though. Surround sound in true speakers is very effective. You can hear even everything happen around you and you can pinpoint the source of the sound without turning. This is the main difference between stereo/virtual and true surround. With the first, you occasionally have to "search" for the source by turning towards it, because the surround effect is "muddy", unprecise. With true surround, you are already reacting to the sound, because you know its precise distance, speed, direction and if you know the map, location too.